2018 – EMPATHY, MY WITNESS

Heightened colour, expression and flesh. Emphasising the vulnerabilities of figures and remaining vague on the strict details, inviting the audience to connect and empathise. This is a safe space to consider human connection; an invitation to feel. I can feel a reaction in my gut when I view an artwork that is enamouring – and it is much more complex than simplistic emotional states like happiness or sadness. The figures play with gesture and bodily discomfort to complicate the viewers role and bring forth questions regarding voyeurism, consent and body confidence.

Liz Gridley’s first solo Melbourne exhibition, ‘Empathy, my witness’ has been possible thanks to the 2017 Graeme Hildebrand Foundation Major Prize and the support of
Off the Kerb Gallery, Collingwood.